PHOENIX — Days after the end of the hottest month in Phoenix history, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday declared a State of Emergency for excessive heat that will help reimburse communities for heat-related expenses.
According to the governor's office, here's what the declaration does:
-Any county that had 30 days of excessive heat warnings from June 30 to July 30 can apply for $200,000 in reimbursements. Three counties meet that standard: Maricopa, Coconino and Pinal.
-$1 million in American Rescue Plan Act money will be made available to cover heat expenses for communities statewide, whatever the needs might be.
-Two cooling centers will be opened from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Capitol Mall, at N. 17th Ave. and W. Washington. The centers will be administered by nonprofits.
The governor's declaration comes after some parts of Arizona have already reported experiencing 30 consecutive days of over 110-degree heat.
In her declaration, Hobbs referenced the many heat-related deaths that occurred last month in Maricopa, Pinal, and Coconino counties as a reason to seek this course of action.
But during a press conference on Thursday, the governor made comments suggesting her administration wasn't ready to make a heat-related declaration.
"We've been working very closely with a lot of the leaders you see up here, because of the unprecedented heat that we're seeing this year," Hobbs said during the press conference. "And you know, it's costing lives. And the state of emergency is an option if we need to free up additional resources. To date that hasn't been necessary. But we're still leaving (it) on the table. Absolutely."
The governor additionally signed an executive order Friday that directs her administration and other state agencies to complete a "Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan" by March 2024, in order to ensure Arizona can respond better to extreme heat in future years.
The order also calls for allocating $13 million in federal funds toward preventing power outages and making improvements to Arizona's grid.